only securely fastened by bolts
and bars, but actually bricked up inside, it was absolutely impossible
for any person to enter or leave the house save by the front door, nor
could any one go from the kitchen to the upper part of the house without
passing under the observation of all four constables. I arranged my
guards in military fashion, having three men for each post, with one
hour on duty and two hours off, but the same men were never on guard
together at definite hours, as they were relieved at varying times. You
will understand that I considered it a very responsible task to
safeguard these premises, and thought it best to render it impossible
for any section of the force under my command to take part in a
conspiracy, although such a thing was in itself most improbable."

They then ascended the staircase and found themselves on the first
floor.

There were six spacious apartments on this storey, and all of them had
originally opened on to the landing. The special precautions taken to
guard the diamonds of the Turkish mission had altered all that. Five
doorways had been bricked up, the result being that admission to the
whole set of rooms could only be obtained through the first door that
faced the top of the staircase.

This apartment was luxuriously furnished, and Inspector Walters
explained that the Turkish Envoy and his suite passed the working hours
of each day there after they had personally thrown open the other
apartments to the diamond polishers and unlocked the safes in which the
gems were stored, when work ceased on the previous day.

"His Excellency," said the inspector, "kept the keys of this room and
the others, together with those of the safes, in his own possession
night and day. He slept upstairs, and so did the other two gentlemen. No
one was allowed to come to this floor except the confidential servant,
named Hussein, who used to bring coffee, cigars, and newspapers or other
things the gentlemen might require, together with their lunch in the
middle of the day. The workmen brought their lunch with them, so that
they came in and out once a day only."

"Where did this confidential servant sleep?" said Brett.

"I believe he used to lie curled up on the rug outside his Excellency's
door."

"And the other servants?"

"They all slept in the basement."

"What were they, Turks or Christians?"

"Well, sir," said the inspector with a smile, "two of them were Turks in
costume, whilst three wer